


there will come soft rains

by tinygumdrops (curryramyeon)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Freeform, Friendship, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Pre-Relationship, Realizations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-19 13:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22545079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curryramyeon/pseuds/tinygumdrops
Summary: There are things that just can't be faked: the eyes of a spiker mid-attack, the relentless sting of a loss, Atsumu's loneliness. And perhaps, Hinata Shouyou's thoughtfulness.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 17
Kudos: 293





	there will come soft rains

**Author's Note:**

> this ship is just a gift that keeps on giving ;-; 
> 
> spoilers for chapter 378 and beyond.

A shadow passes, and then suddenly, an all too familiar face pops in Atsumu's line of sight.

"What do you want?" Atsumu snipes. He almost flinches; he sounds harsher than he means to, but he thinks he can be forgiven for this gaffe. Right now, he wishes nothing more than to be left undisturbed.

Thankfully, or rather, _as expected_ , Shouyou isn't fazed at all by his outburst. He throws Atsumu a befuddled look. "Why are you out here all by yourself?" He juts his chin at the strawberry ice cream cone Atsumu's discarded with not so much as a lick, the dairy quickly melting on the grass. "And what happened to your ice cream?"

"Smelled weird. Reminded me of Koutarou-chan's socks," Atsumu says in a measured tone, aiming for a snarky grin. "You haven't answered my question. What are you doing here, Shouyou?"

"Thought you'd be out here. I was looking for you."

"Why?"

"You weren't answering my texts."

Atsumu snorts as he closes his eyes.

"Um, Atsumu-san. I can see you even if your eyes are closed," Shouyou says. "You're not, like, suddenly invisible, you know."

There's the rustle of grass beside him, and the sudden breeze brings the telltale scent of spearmint, baby powder and gym gear, of something vaguely male but distinctly Shouyou. He takes Atsumu's unusual silence as less of a rebuff and more of an invitation. Atsumu factors this as a lost cause and opens his eyes.

Shouyou is still glancing down at him. "Are you upset?"

Atsumu sighs. "The hell wouldn't I be?" They got completely _decimated_ during the first round. He's got every right.

"I'm upset, too."

"Huh. You sure look like it."

Shouyou laughs, a crinkle in his left eye. "I am! _Really_! I drank a Slurpee and ate three bowls of ramen yesterday, and Meian-san gave me an earful. It's funny how his face went all red and puffy—you should've seen it! I think I could go for two more rounds today, but I suppose it's only a matter of time before coach finds out." He smiles wider at the molten ice cream. "You're way better at this than I am."

Atsumu grunts and says nothing.

Shouyou eyes him again, up then down. "You've stayed up in your room for two days now, haven't you?" he says. "Did you get any sleep?"

Atsumu shrugs. "A little," he murmurs, and Shouyou pokes Atsumu's rib at the lie.

When Atsumu sneaks a look at his teammate, he almost smirks at the sight of Shouyou buzzing and pressing his mouth together in a firm line. Inactivity isn't Shouyou's natural state of being; there must be a ton of things he wants to say. But he lets the quiet stretch, and Atsumu at least appreciates the attempt.

Everyone handles losing differently. People range from bone-deep resignation to vase-on-the-wall madness; Atsumu lies sort of in between that spectrum. Shouyou was right about Atsumu locking himself in his apartment for two days, only coming out of his bat cave to eat or to relieve himself in the bathroom. He couldn't sleep, but it's not like he'd be able to dream about good things at all. He kept tossing and turning, consumed by thoughts, incessant and unwelcome. Thoughts of people calling him a flame-out, all the trade rumors. His team losing faith in him.

He thought about calling Osamu twice. Just because he feels shitty about his life doesn't mean he can't try and make Osamu feel shitty too—that's what shitty twin brothers are for, he supposed. But then he remembered the challenge Osamu gave him during their second-year of high school—the almost promise—and he felt stupid for wanting to hear Osamu's drawling insults from the receiver.

And so today, he went out for a quick run in the nearby park. Bought an ice cream he immediately felt guilty about eating, plopped himself on the grass and stared up at the cerulean sky. If he feels utterly pathetic about this, then no one has to know.

But for how much of an idiot Atsumu has pegged Hinata Shouyou to be when they first met, the little guy's surprisingly a clairvoyant when it comes to people's feelings. Especially Atsumu's.

When Atsumu cranes his neck to look up, he catches Shouyou watching him. Shouyou's mouth then twists into a small smile.

"I shouldn't have dumped that last set," Atsumu mumbles, not breaking eye contact. "We could've scored if I just stuck with an A-quick."

Shouyou nods. "Hmm, maybe so. But you did what you thought was best in that moment."

Something in Atsumu's chest unfurls. "You know I did my best, right?"

"Of course! You wouldn't be our team's setter if you didn't."

"Is that—alright, you think?"

"Uh-huh. You don't think so?"

"No," Atsumu says quickly. "Just wanted to know what you thought."

"What I thought?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Well, I think you're one of the best setters in all of Japan. Maybe the whole _world_ ," Shouyou says. His orange hair is as bright as the gleam in his dark brown eyes. "It's crazy to think you're just getting started, you know?"

 _Doesn't he care about how he sounds like?_ Atsumu thinks, his cheeks heating up. It's not a teammate's job to pump his tires, but it's definitely not bad either, having Shouyou yank him out of that weird, mindless funk he's been in for the past few days. Perhaps it helps, having someone beside him, someone real and solid and who'll answer back, someone whose opinions Atsumu has grown to care about. Not like the faceless fans, or the media, or the anonymous posters on volleyball forums, who all surmised he'd be playing second fiddle to Kageyama Tobio's genius in the Olympic team.

For some strange reason, Shouyou makes it hard for Atsumu to prefer moping in private. It's quite pathetic beyond acceptance—Osamu will probably never let him live this down.

" _The grass is greener on the other side_."

Atsumu is jerked out of his reverie. "Huh? What?"

"That's what Takeda-sensei sometimes says when we lose—he's my high school teacher, and he's _awesome_. He says very deep, wise stuff like that." He sounds wistful. " _The grass is greener on the other side_. Sounds good, doesn't it? But I don't really get it. The grass isn't _always_ green, see?" Shouyou points to the faraway hills, and wrinkles his nose. "Looks more like a mountain of poo to me."

Atsumu snorts, his chest rumbling with amusement that refuses to remain hidden. "That's because it's almost summer now, you idiot. They're getting dried up!"

"Oh." Predictably, unabashedly, Shouyou laughs at himself. "Oh, jeez. I was pretty hopeless in school."

"It shows," Atsumu attests.

They are quiet for a moment, until Shouyou's gaze becomes searching. "You were sad earlier," he says. "Are you still now? Sad?"

"I don't know. Maybe? But not really..."

"It's okay. You can tell me anything, Atsumu-san—you know that, right? Like, if your stomach goes _aarrghhh_ or something. I won't let coach or Meian-san know, if you don't want to."

Atsumu flushes. He always forgets how dizzying it is to be under Shouyou's attention. He wonders how Shouyou's previous teammates were able to cope, almost pities them. "I suppose you're not my partner if you're not haranguing me about my condition."

Shouyou laughs. "Right! And we're friends, too."

Atsumu swallows. He knows that. "I—I guess I'm just tired," he admits.

"Tired? Tired from playing volleyball?"

"Yeah. But I'm not tired _of_ it," Atsumu says defensively. "That's different."

Shouyou angles his head towards the sky, his mouth open wide, like he's just realized something. "Me too," he says softly.

Atsumu lasers in on that statement. "You're not just telling me that to make me feel better, are you?" At Shouyou's pensive look, he adds, "You gotta be kidding..."

Shouyou shrugs. "Well, it'd be weird if we're not, right? We played full sets for three consecutive days. And we played _so much_ this season." He then lowers his face to the ground, as if worried about the expression he'll show. "I usually don't want volleyball to be over. But..."

It's probably a testament to how much time they've spent on the court together, that Atsumu doesn't find it blasphemous to whisper back, _It's alright_. Like they shouldn't be mortified at themselves, denying more volleyball. It's unthinkable, before. Atsumu wonders when that has started to change.

"Don't let Captain or Koutarou-chan hear you say that," Atsumu allows. "They care too much to let that slide—you'll be knee-deep in penalty drills way before training camp even starts, probably. You can say it to me, but maybe not in the locker room."

"I know. That's why I said it."

Atsumu glances at him. Shouyou's face is tilted again towards the sky. Whatever he's thinking about, the weight of it makes his expression look dark and intense.

Shouyou then makes a funny noise. " _Man_ , now I know why Meian-san told me off for eating instant ramen. I feel so boggy today." He slaps his abdomen hard with his palm. "Is this how it's like, senpai?"

Atsumu's fist meets Shouyou's armpit as he fights back a smile. "I'm only a year older than you, Shrimpy," he says. "You know what? I should have you do a hundred bench presses for that comment. You're such a wuss at the gym."

"Bet 'ya I can do a _thousand_."

"Talk more out of your ass, why don't you?" Atsumu grins, shark-like. "Now, now, Shouyou-kun, don't you go worrying about _me_. Worry more about yourself. I'll give you even faster tosses it'll make you sick. You know I can only do so much to make you look good."

Shouyou smiles broadly; Atsumu doesn't miss the way his eyes sharpen at the challenge. "Atsumu-san."

"Yeah?"

"Next season, we'll be unstoppable. We'll get back at Goshiki's team! And Kageyama's, too!"

Atsumu huffs out a laugh. This brat. Looks like self-confidence will never be an issue for him.

He meets Shouyou's fist squarely. "We'll get 'em," Atsumu says, surprising himself with the undercurrent of satisfaction in his voice. He doesn't know what to do with that tidbit of information. A strange warmth grows in the pit of his belly.

Shouyou smacks his forehead. "Oh! Jeez, I forgot! I've been meaning to tell you for _ages_ —there's this _amazing_ shoe store Koutarou-san and I found the other day..."

Atsumu hums and waves his hand in gesture. _Tell me more about it._

It's a little crowded in the park, with all the teenagers and families milling about, but Atsumu's starting to feel more like himself, enough to take a few steadying breaths without fretting about how he looks like from the outside. Shouyou's ankle against his thigh is warm and comforting.

He places his arms under his head. He listens to Shouyou talk some more as the sunshine gently warms his skin.

~ _Fin_ ~

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://tinygumdrops.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/tinygumdrops) | [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/tinygumdrops)


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